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Film Reviews

Film Reviews: Toronto International Film Festival 2009

September 21, 2009

FFT Festival Coverage

Toronto’s Hotly Anticipated World Premieres

September 9, 2009

Tribeca Interview: “Funk” Director Aly Muritiba
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 12, 2026
With Funk, Brazilian director Aly Muritiba (Private Desert) crafts a love letter to “putaria,” the kinky funk music of the favelas surrounding Rio de Janeiro. That genre is unabashedly sexual in its lyrics and themes, often in very explicit fashion. With gleeful abandon, its practitioners—at least as we see them here—rap and sing about all kinds of pleasurable acts, moving their bodies to the rhythm in ways that leave no doubt as to what they’re ... >>
Tribeca Review: “Funk”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 11, 2026
Funk (Aly Muritiba, 2026) 3½ out of 5 stars Brazilian funk music—or, more specifically, “kinky funk”—is filled with bumping, heavy-on-the-bass beats and other electronic sounds, coupled with explicitly sexual lyrics and accompanying salacious gyrations. Called “putaria” in the favelas (the dense, lower-income settlements outside major urban centers such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), this musical genre features both singing and rap, and is ... >>
“Kraken” Delivers Slimy and Sloppy Fun
By Adam Vaughn
June 11, 2026
Kraken (Pål Øie, 2026) 3 out of 5 stars Norwegian director Pål Øie (The Tunnel) delivers a film that dives deep into the mythological lore of one of the most treacherous sea creatures known. Kraken is about a fish-farming company that has overstepped its scientific research in herding salmon, unleashing a monster from the depths of Sognefjord, the deepest body of water in Norway. The team recruits the expertise of marine biologist, Johanne (Sara ... >>
Tribeca Review: “Mario”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 9, 2026
Mario (Peter Kunhardt/George Kunhardt/Teddy Kunhardt, 2026) 3½ out of 5 stars Mario Cuomo (1932-2015) served three terms as the governor of New York State, from 1983 to 1995, losing his bid for a fourth term against Republican George Pataki. At the height of his popularity, Cuomo offered a powerful progressive voice in opposition to the social Darwinism of the Reagan-Bush era. Though he declined to run for president, he very much influenced the ... >>
Tribeca Review: “The Lorraine”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 8, 2026
The Lorraine (Sam Pollard, 2026) 3½ out of 5 stars Director Sam Pollard (Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes) is a reliably competent documentarian, always able to inform as well as engage. In The Lorraine, a film conceived and written by Alvin Hall, Pollard gives us the account of the titular motel, in Memphis, Tennessee. Black-owned, it reached its peak of popularity during the segregated era of the American South, appearing in Victor Hugo ... >>